This application relates generally to the field of secure electronic messaging, and in particular to selecting messaging configuration settings on a messaging client.
Known secure messaging software clients, such as e-mail software applications operating on desktop computer systems, use only one set of messaging settings at a time. Messaging settings may be established using a mouse, a keyboard or another input device, for example, to configure such message characteristics as formats, fonts, and common text that should appear in all outgoing messages, as well as secure messaging characteristics such as message signing and encryption. Although a user may establish more than one group of settings, only one group, previously selected as current or default settings, controls messaging operations on a messaging client at any time. In order to configure different message characteristics than those established in the current settings for an outgoing message, the current settings must be over-ridden or another group of settings must be selected. These operations may be cumbersome, particularly when message characteristics must be changed frequently, such as when the addressees of outgoing messages have different messaging capabilities.